


The Lost Proposal

by BorrowedBlueBox



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chuck Swears, Computers, Customer Service & Tech Support, Everyone Is Alive, Everyone swears actually, Herc swears, It is Chuck after all, M/M, Rating is for swearing and sexual innuendos, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-06-29
Packaged: 2018-04-06 18:39:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4232589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BorrowedBlueBox/pseuds/BorrowedBlueBox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raleigh loses an important document, Yancy sends him to a strange computer repair shop, the ginered hair tech support keeps flirting with Raleigh and the two go on a date.</p><p>If it isn't obvious by now, I'm not good with summaries. I promise the story is better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lost Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> I was writing a fic for my Chaleigh domestic series and I lost the document so I channeled all my anger into this. 
> 
> For those who read my "Home Is Where My Family Is" series, I'm sorry, I was going to upload a few fics but word decided to delete them so I recovered most of them and am now having to rewrite the parts that are missing. I offer this product of my anger to you as an olive branch of peace.
> 
> Just a head's up. The workers go by nicknames. Here are the nicknames and who they are, in case you're not able to figure out.
> 
> Mako: "51/51"  
> Herc: "Lucky Seven"  
> Chuck "Striker Eureka"  
> Tendo: "LOCCENT"  
> Hermann: "Doctor"  
> Newt: "Kaiju Groupie"
> 
> Shout out to my mom for beta reading this at 2 AM and for coming up with the title! She is the wind beneath my wings. C:
> 
> Also, my first time writing an accent, let alone an Australian accent. Hopefully it works out, if not let me know and I'll change it. I'm American so I have a boring accent. 
> 
> Beta’d, however, if you see any mistakes please let me know and I’ll fix them right away.
> 
> Constructive criticism is accepted but please no negativity. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Pacific Rim. The only thing I own is a computer, internet connection, insomnia, and an account.

Raleigh was pissed and upset and on the verge of killing someone or something. He'd been working on a proposal for a construction project that his boss had asked him to write up. 

He'd spent days coming up with the proposal and hours writing and revising the document, saving every two minutes because he was a paranoid person and his job was resting on this. He'd come up with the proposal and it was his idea, however, his boss would be the one to take the credit for it. That was Hannibal Chau for you, making profits off of other people's work. Raleigh wasn't going to complain though. He needed this job and with a new construction company moving into the area and taking some of Chau's government contracts, his boss was firing people left and right. Raleigh only had a high school diploma and there weren't many jobs that would pay him enough to live off, having only a high school diploma. 

Again, he really needed this job; it seemed as if his computer disagreed with him though. Microsoft Word closed on him and he swore at the stupid laptop in front of him. He quickly reopened the program and went to recover the document from the auto recovery only to find nothing there. He checked his recycling bin, he tried to Google what to do but couldn't figure out the instructions and he was freaking out. His proposal was due tomorrow. He had no time to rewrite it, not to mention he couldn't remember off the top of his head the whole proposal. He was screwed. 

He put his head in his hands and broke down. He was so physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted and he could feel an anxiety attack coming on because he was going to lose his fucking job. He had a fucking right to break down over this.

"You okay, kid?" Came Yancy's voice and Raleigh looked up to find his older brother looking at him with a look of concern on his face.

"No. This fucking computer. I can't find my proposal, Yance. I saved it but when I open the file, it's blank! I'm gonna get fired and you're gonna kick me out and I'm---" Raleigh was cut off when he began hyperventilating.

"Jesus, kid, calm down. I'm not gonna kick you out. It's gonna be okay." Yancy spoke softly but reassuringly. He instructed Raleigh to breathe in and out, helping calm his baby brother down. 

"It's not gonna be okay, Yancy. Where else is going to hire a 26 year old whose only schooling is high school? A job that pays enough to live on? Hmm? You're lucky you got that tutoring job because of your honor roll grades. But I'm not academic smart. I'm... I'm construction smart, I know the whole shebang for it but Chau's gonna fire me tomorrow." Raleigh rambled.

"You're so fucking dramatic. Take it to a damn computer fix it shop. They might be able to fix it. Don't quit just yet, if you do, you're not my brother and you've been replaced by aliens." Yancy said, pulling out his phone to look up a specific computer shop’s address. He purposely ignored the Best Buys, after Geek Squad lost all their pictures and couldn’t get them back; they swore never to use the Blue Devil Company, as they called it. The pictures they'd lost were what they had left of their family before their mom died and their father left, then their sister left. Granted their sister had come back, she was only gone for four months, returning after grieving in her own way.

"You've been watching way too much X-Files." Raleigh replied, running his hands frantically through his hair.

"Hey! I told you to never hold that against me! Besides, I'm not the one who watches fucking Octonauts!" Yancy shot back, not looking up from his phone as he pointed a finger at Raleigh. 

"It's relaxing and a break from all the current shows about gun running motorcycle gangs or other dark shit." Raleigh defended.

"It's a fucking children's show." Yancy said and shot Raleigh a look as he copied something on his phone. 

"Here. My buddy works at this computer shop, they're really good and reliable. If they can't fix it, no one can. I sent you the details. Go. I gotta go to work. Seriously, go, they close at eight but the sooner you go, the sooner you can hopefully get this fixed." Yancy said as he left the room.

Raleigh took one last look at his computer before caving in and if a whimper came out, well no one had to know. He hoped that someone would be able to help him. 

"I'm leaving, you better be getting ready to go get your computer looked at!" Yancy called from the front door right before he left.

Fifteen minutes later, Raleigh found himself stopping his bicycle in front of a building that looked like a bunker. It said "Shatterdome Repairs" in what looked like a type-writer font.

Raleigh locked his bike in the provided bike spots. He gave his computer one last death glare before taking a deep breath and walking into the building.

Whoa. That's all Raleigh could think at first. If he thought the outside looked like a bunker, the inside was even more like a bunker. Raleigh found himself a little jealous of the construction company who had gotten to do the job.

Raleigh looked around and found that he could distinguish the employees from the customers by their weird uniform of leather jackets with what seemed like nicknames on the backs.

"Hey there! How can I help you?" Came a voice as a guy stepped up to Raleigh, a big grin on his face. Raleigh gave the guy a once over, he was an average height man with brown hair and black glasses, a white shirt with a black skinny tie underneath his jacket and black pants.

"Uh, hi. I need help with my computer." Raleigh said awkwardly, holding up his computer.

"Gonna have to be a bit more specific, dude. We're an electronics repair shop." Said a guy with a bagel in his hand. He was wearing a blue button up shirt and a red bowtie underneath his jacket which said "LOCCENT" on the back.

"Be nice! But yeah, LOCCENT’s right. What's the problem with your computer? That way we can make sure you get sent to the right tech support person." The guy with the glasses rambled.

"I need to retrieve a document. I saved it but when I open the file it's blank." Raleigh said feeling a bit stupid. 

The guy in front of him tilted his head with a thoughtful expression on his face before straightening back up.

"Let's go see Striker Eureka! Normally I'd send you to LOCCENT or 51/51 but they're working on a project for Cherno Alpha Construction. But Striker should be able to help!" The guy said excitedly and led him through the shop. Raleigh was able to see the back of his jacket and noticed it said ‘Kaiju Groupie’ on it. Raleigh wondered where the Hell Yancy had sent him. 

As they walked through the shop, Raleigh noticed that they seemed to sell parts to electronics as well as fix them. 'Kaiju Groupie' led him to the back of the store where there were stations with desks and things Raleigh wasn't even sure about what they were.

"Striker, got a task for you! It's usually LOCCENT or 51/51's area but you're just as qualified!" He spoke to an empty station.

Raleigh looked around wondering again, where the fuck Yancy sent him. He was about to ask who the guy was talking to when suddenly Raleigh saw a head appear from behind the table, he must have been on the floor. The kid, because he looked like a kid, had ginger hair and blue eyes, he had an egotistical jerk vibe about him with his facial structure and that smirk he was sporting but fuck Raleigh found the kid attractive.

The kid stood up, giving Raleigh a once over, smirk on his face. Before Raleigh knew it, 'Kaiju Groupie' was walking off complaining about a 'Doctor.'

"I gotta make sure Doctor's eating, it's the stubborn bastard's lunch break but I bet you anything he's doing coding." The retreating man said.

"So, what's yer problem?" The kid asked in a thick Australian accent.

"Uh okay. So I was writing a document in Microsoft Word and I kept saving it about every two minutes because it's really important and then Word closed on me and I went to recover it but there was no auto recovery option and when I open the saved file, it's blank. And I really need this document or I'm pretty much fucked." Raleigh explained.

"Kaiju Groupie was right, that's more LOCCENT or 51/51's area but shit, I'm Striker Eureka and I'm the best damnit. Gimme the computer." The kid, no Striker Eureka said.

"I'm gonna check a few different places. Hope ya don't have any porn on here, hidden or not." Striker Eureka chuckled and gave him a different smirk. 

Raleigh couldn't help but wonder if this kid was even real. 

"What's yer name? Gotta have it for the records." Striker Eureka asked and pointed to a computer he'd been typing a few things into.

"Raleigh Becket." Raleigh responded and watched him type it into the computer.

"So ya never assured me ya don't have any porn on here, Rally. I bloody hope I don't find any." The kid said, butchering his name.

"It's Raleigh, and no I don't have porn on my computer. Jesus, what kind of person asks that?" Raleigh corrected the kid.

"Me." Striker Eureka simply said, giving him a big mischievous mutation of a grin and a smirk as he went back to pulling up windows on Raleigh's computer.

Yeah, definitely not real. Must be a robot. Raleigh was sure of it.

"So what's the document called?" Striker Eureka asked.

"Uh, ya might wanna sit, this may take a bit." Striker Eureka added and pointed to a stool next to where Raleigh was sitting.

"Proposal." Raleigh replied and sat down.

"Proposal? Ya typed up yer proposal? Jesus and they say romance is dead." Striker Eureka scoffed.

"No, not a marriage proposal. A business proposal." Raleigh clarified as the kid searched for the file.

"Hence why I would be fucked without it. That or Chau would fucking kill me because I promised it to him." Raleigh said, feeling the need to add commentary.

"Ya work for Hannibal Chau? Fuck, wish ya had said that first. Then I woulda said to leave because we don't help that bastard." Striker Eureka said as he moved to a different window and typed something into the search bar.

"Not like I enjoy working for him, it's the only job I'm good at and can get. There's not a lot of construction opportunities." Raleigh defended.

"Yeah, that's gonna change. The Russian's are gonna kick that bastard out of town and hopefully they'll let me watch." Striker Eureka said.

"Fuck. I'm going to assume that since you're here, that was your only copy of the document. Would I be right in thinkin' that?" Striker Eureka asked and looked at Raleigh with what might be considered an angry look.

"Uh... Yeah." Raleigh said, looking at the ground and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Looks like I gotta bring out the big guns." The kid said and grinned widely and began typing things into Raleigh's computer and his own computer on the desk.

The kid worked in silence for fifteen minutes before Kaiju Groupie returned asking if Striker Eureka had taken his lunch break yet. The kid waved him off saying he was busy.

"You don't have to skip your lunch to fix my problem." Raleigh said, feeling guilty.

"Nah. You're actually doin' me a favor. 51/51 was in charge of bringin' lunch today and she's hell bent on getting us to eat all this healthy shit. It's... gross. I just want a fuckin' hamburger but no, I gotta eat some vegetable stir fry with tofu in it." Striker Eureka said.

"Tofu, man. Tofu." He repeated, looking at Raleigh dead in the eyes with a serious expression. 

And holy shit, Raleigh thought. The blue eyes were gorgeous, just like the rest of the kid.

"Then maybe I ought to buy you a hamburger to thank you for skipping your lunch to help me." Raleigh said before he could stop himself.

"This repair ain't free, y'know." Striker Eureka said and looked up to give Raleigh a glare.

"No, I know. I meant in addition. Um, like. Never mind." Raleigh stammered out and the kid's smirk grew wider, his eyes glinting with a look of mischief before looking back at the computer.

"Found it!" The kid exclaimed a couple seconds later, fist thrown into the air.

"Take a look and make sure that's it. Ignore the strange looking programming, I'll fix that for ya, mate." Striker Eureka said and turned the laptop towards Raleigh to where he could see.

After scrolling and seeing that it was all there and letting the kid know, Striker Eureka took the computer back.

"Yeah, yeah, like I said, 'm the best." The kid bragged and started typing on Raleigh's computer.

"'M just getting rid of the programming, don't worry, I won't delete any words. I'll let ya do that." The kid said and ten minutes later, handed Raleigh his laptop.

"Thank you so much. You saved me, seriously. Thank you." Raleigh said as the kid printed out a ticket for Raleigh to take to the registers.

"Yeah, yeah, well I couldn't let ya get fucked by Chau, not a sexy thing like ya." The kid replied with a smirk and a wink. Raleigh blushed bright red at that. Shit that sounded even sexier in his accent.

"Not to mention, ya owe me a burger, mate." Striker Eureka said.

"Oh? Do I?" Raleigh asked with fake innocence.

"Yeah, ya twat, ya told me you'd buy me a burger and I'm holdin' ya to that. So go pay for the repair and then we'll go down the street to the PPDC diner where you'll buy me a burger." The kid growled out and signed out of his computer, putting his stuff away and locking the drawers.

"Oh and before ya ask, it's a date." Striker Eureka informed him before he turned to walk towards a backroom. 

"I'll be back in a few minutes, just wait up front, Rah-lay." The kid laughed and dashed towards the back room before Raleigh could correct him on his name.

"What the fuck did I get myself into?" Raleigh asked himself out loud.

He shook his head and walked towards the registers, stopping in front of the counter when he saw what looked to be an older version of Striker Eureka. 

"Gonna stand there all day or are ya gonna pay?" The guy asked in a gruff Australian accent, matching Striker Eureka's.

"Right. Sorry. Uh, here." Raleigh said and handed the ticket over.

"Did you get your document retrieved?" Kaiju Groupie appeared from behind him, causing Raleigh to jump a bit as the guy laughed while vaulting over the counter, earning him some swearing and the older Australian telling him not to fucking do that.

"You'd think a scientist with six fucking doctorates would know not to fucking throw himself over a counter." The older Australian said causing Kaiju Groupie to laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, Lucky Seven. Striker does it too, y'know." Kaiju Groupie said to the man who apparently was Lucky Seven.

"And I yell at him for it too, wanker." Lucky Seven replied and turned to Raleigh telling him his total.

Raleigh handed over his credit card and prayed that his paycheck had gone through.

"So, you never said. Did you get your document back?" Kaiju Groupie asked.

"Of course he did. I was the one helping him, Kaiju Groupie." Came Striker Eureka's voice from behind Raleigh, Striker Eureka laughed when Raleigh jumped in surprise.

Lucky Seven handed Raleigh his card back and a receipt saying he was good to go.

"Right, let's go." Striker Eureka said. 

"Where the fuck are ya going?" Lucky Seven asked.

"To lunch, old man." Striker Eureka responded and Raleigh saw Kaiju Groupie slide back on his wheeled desk chair away from Lucky Seven.

"I told ya not to fucking call me that." Lucky Seven growled.

"Yeah, yeah." Striker Eureka said dismissively with a wave and grabbed Raleigh's arm and dragged him out of the shop.

"We can walk, it's five minutes." Striker Eureka said and Raleigh was amazed at how beautiful the kid looked outside. 

Kid, that's right, Striker Eureka looked young and Raleigh didn't know his name and yet here he was going on a date with him. Raleigh decided to ask him how old he was, just to be safe. 

"Please tell me you're legal." Raleigh ended up saying and mentally slapped himself. 

Striker Eureka laughed and blushed a bright red color and Raleigh was hooked even more.

"'M 21. Don't worry, ya aren't going to go to jail because I fucked ya." The not quite a kid but still younger than Raleigh laughed and winked at Raleigh. It was Raleigh's turn to turn bright red.

"I don't know your name. Assuming Striker Eureka isn't really your name." Raleigh spoke as they walked towards the diner.

"Chuck. Chuck Hansen." Striker Eureka, no, Chuck said.

Before Raleigh could respond, Chuck spoke up.

"Oh by the way, while I was in the back I put a call into my friends over at Cherno Alpha Construction. You've got a job interview at two pm on Monday." Chuck said nonchalantly and opened the door to the diner as they reached the entrance to the PPDC also known as the Properly Prepared Diner and Catering.

"I hardly think that's fair." Raleigh said and Chuck gave him a confused look.

"Getting an interview because you asked a favor." Raleigh explained.

"Asked a favor? God no, never ask the Kaidonovskys a favor, or really any Russian for that matter. You'll be in their debt forever, even after you've died." Chuck said as he led Raleigh to a booth.

"I told them that I'd met an unsatisfied employee of Hannibal Chau who was pretty brilliant and they nearly demanded that ya come in today." Chuck explained. 

"Brilliant?" Raleigh asked.

"I saw your proposal. It's genius, trust me. I'd quit, 'cause Tuesday, you've got a job at Cherno Alpha Construction." Chuck grinned and was about to say something else but shut up when their waitress appeared.

"Rals." A familiar female voice said and Raleigh internally groaned. He put on a big smile and turned towards the beautiful blonde waitress standing in front of their table.

"Hello, Jazmine." Raleigh replied in a mock cheerful tone.

"What can I get you and your friend to drink, asshole?" Jazmine asked affectionately in an equally fake, cheerful tone. She didn't let Raleigh answer before she wrote down his order for coffee, she looked at Chuck with a slightly more genuine smile.

"Just coffee, black." Chuck said and Raleigh saw him squirm under Jazmine's gaze as she looked him over, head to toe.

"Jesus, Jaz, just go get us our coffee or I'm tellin' Pentecost." Raleigh said and Jazmine huffed before turning around and walking off.

"Please tell me that's not your girlfriend." Chuck said and narrowed his eyes at Raleigh.

"Jazmine?! God no, she's my baby sister. She likes to give me shit. She's already figured out this is a date and is most likely texting my older brother--- Yep, she's got her phone out and is texting. Five minutes and I'll get a text from Yancy." Raleigh sighed.

"Lucky Seven's my father." Chuck said feeling the need to add to the conversation, but went silent as Jazmine made her way back to the table with their coffee. 

"So, friend of Raleigh's who he has yet to introduce me to, do you know what you want? I already know what Rals wants." Jazmine asked and Raleigh rolled his eyes.

"Uh, just a hamburger, ketchup only please. Fries too, please." Chuck said.

"And 'm Chuck." Chuck introduced himself, holding his hand out to Jazmine.

"Nice to meet you Chuck, I'm Jazmine, Raleigh's sister. I'll go put your orders in." Jazmine said, shook Chuck's hand and walked off.

Raleigh's phone buzzed and it was a message from Yancy. Chuck laughed and then narrowed his eyes at Raleigh.

"Wait. Yancy? As in Yancy Becket?" Chuck asked and Raleigh nodded.

"Yeah, he's my older brother. He told me to come to your shop, said a friend of his works there. Oh shit, please tell me you're not his friend." Raleigh plead.

"Nah, Ray. That'd be Tendo aka LOCCENT." Chuck said, not even attempting to say Raleigh's name.

"It's Raleigh. And I just realized, I know nothing about you." Raleigh said.

"Guess yer just gonna have to get to know me. Unless ya got a problem with that?" Chuck spoke.

"Nope, no problem at all." Raleigh said and matched Chuck's shit eating grin he flashed in response to Raleigh's answer.

Chuck took a sip of his coffee, his half smirk half smile back in place. Raleigh found himself studying Chuck in an attempt to understand the kid who seemed to be a mystery. Raleigh did enjoy mysteries and he was pretty sure he was going to enjoy unravelling this mystery.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the baby of my anger towards my POS computer. I am currently working on reformatting a story for the Chaleigh domestic 'verse that is a three part story, yeah, you're welcome for all that. :) I hope to have it fixed, beta'd and posted soon! All three parts are looooong so it's taking a bit to get my mom to be able to sit down and beta it. 
> 
> As usual, couldn't resist the SoA reference. ;)
> 
> A part of me wants to write a follow up to this, maybe with Raleigh starting at Cherno Alpha Construction and meeting Mako but the other part nearly has an anxiety attack at having more stories on my plate. I don't know if I'll even write it. If (big if) I do, it'll be after I'm finished with the 3 part story for the domestic 'verse. I'm so focused on reformatting the recovered document and trying not to have a mental breakdown because Word is really mean and I never did anything bad to it. 
> 
> Anyway, on a positive note, thank you so much for all the support! <3


End file.
